Beignets

Chapter I

"Well, well, well." Facilier crouched down next to Tiana, who was sprawled on the dining room floor surrounded by broken plates and fallen pastries. His violet eyes trickled their way over the doughnuts and the tarts and the croissants. But where his gaze was fixed were the beignets. The square, flaky, powdered fried cake had engulfed his senses and he savored the sight. It had been so long since he'd felt the powdered sugar melt on his tongue, sunk his teeth into the soft, airiness of the baked good. Too long, in fact. Selecting a beignet that was propped up on the safety of the tray between his thumb and forefinger, he raised it to his nose, careful not to sniff the sugar too hard, but just enough to inhale the yeasty, fluffiness. Opening his mouth he stuffed the whole pastry inside. A content smile relaxed over his drawn face as he chewed and then swallowed. Happy, he rocked back onto his heels and searched for another beignet. Tiana, who was frightened out of her mind, sat motionless, her knees drawn up to her chest. With his mouth full of his third pastry he said, "Looks like y'all need some lessons on balance. Or a potion. How much money d'y'all got on ya?" In one fluid motion, proving that there was some muscle in those skinny little legs, he stood, hands on his hips, peering down at the poor, frightened girl.

She wrinkled her nose and frowned, standing up on her own. Dusting herself off from all the white powder. "I don't need any lessons on balance. It's just that you're supposed to be… be…"

"On the Other Side? Or maybe better, dead?" Chuckling at her loss for words, he shrugged, strolling around the giant dining room in Tiana's Palace. "Chere remember who you're speaking to; I can talk my way out of a gator's jaws. Do y'all really think some little shadows are gonna keep me from my plans?"

Biting her lip, Tiana cringed as he came close to her, cradling her chin in his spindly hand. She jerked free and stumbled back a bit more, backing into a table. Sticking a quaking finger in the air, she attempted to keep him at bay. "You aren't going to get New Orleans, if that's your plan. I won't let you."

Throwing back his head, he cackled, a low, rumbling sound emanating from the back of his throat. "New Orleans? That's my plan? Chere, there's so much more land and riches out there, but what I really want…" sweeping his way toward Tiana, he placed his hand around her slender waist. "…is you."

A disgusted look took over her face as she wriggled away and threw her hand in front of her, as if begging him to come no closer. "You're crazy! You're evil and… and…you turned me into a frog!"

Not moving, he leaned on his cane, grinning. "I did no such thing. It was that slimy prince that changed you. I had no idea who y'all were."

"Oh, what, and now you do? I'm nothing to you. Except maybe a ticket to swindling Naveen again, but that isn't gonna happen. Not while I'm here."

"Y'all don't understand, Princesse, so I'll clarify." He pulled a chair out from its place hooded by a table, turning it backwards and sat, leaning toward her. "We're the same, you and I. Always tryin' to prove our worth in the world. Workin' for a living, and workin' hard. I can see the calluses on your fingers; maybe from carryin' around too many trays full of fatty food for fatty people while you cut out breakfast and lunch just to save for this place." Spreading his arms, he grinned, a sad truth hiding deep in his eyes, hanging there for Tiana to catch. "I worked, too. I worked hard and I had a dream. But now that's dead, down in Hell. I don't need to prove myself to those rich monkeys. What matters is that I'm here, pumping the money from their fat wallets and soon, will own all of them. What does y'all say? Wanna join me?"

(A/N I'm not sure if I should continue. If you think I should, please say so in a review. Thank you so much!)